Apparatus for and method of obtaining power from ocean waves



MaY 6, 19130- Y AE. J. BRADY 1,757,166

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF' OBTAINING POWER FROM OCEAN WAVES FiledlDec. 14l '1925 5 Sheets-Sheet l mf-,mazza EL.v J. BRADY 1,757,166

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF OBTA-INING POWER FROM OCEAN WAVES May 6,1930.

1925 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Dec. 14,

hpv/Mr@ zzzzmfacfmg E. J. BRADY May 6, 1930.

APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF OBTAINING POWER FROM OCEA WVES 41925 5Sheets-Sheer.

Filed Dec. 14,

May 6, 1930. E. J. BRADY 1,757,166

' APPARATUS FOR ND METHOD OF OBTANING POWER FROM OCEAN WAVES Filed Deo.14l 1925 .5 sheets-sm@-f.- 4

May 6, 1930.

E, J. BRADY APPARATUS FOR AND METHOD OF OBTAINING POWER FROM OCEAN WAVESFiled Deo. 14I 1925 5 Sheets-Shaml 5 y Patented May 6, 1.930

` UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ice y EDWARD J. BRADY, or PHILADELPHIA,rENNsYLvANrA.

APPARATUS ron AND METHoD or GBTAINING roWER FROM ocnAN WAVES Applicationmea December 14,v 1925. serie1No.,75,as3. Y

Before describing in aaai-1 a suitable-form of apparatus embodying myinvention Ivvill describe two fundamental principles which and reflectthem back, asin an echo, must bev at least several wave lengths wide. Amore l recent, and perhaps a better, illustration of the principle is inradio communication,

4 where, in order to receive and convert the energy of the incomingwaves to useful effect, we must have the electrical characteristics ofthe receiver of the proper magnitude to permit tuning This question ofthe relative magnitude of the apparatus and the waves from which it issupposed to abstract energy is in fact the most important factor in theproblem of recovering wave energy. This 'is one aspect of the problemthat has been neglected in all prior attempts to recover energy fromocean Waves,

and my invention contemplates the practical application of thisprinciple. I, therefore,

propose in order to carry out the above principle and to achieve otherresults which will i.

be described in detail hereinafter, to make my apparatus sufficientlylong' to extend across W several waves. A

As incidental to this first principle, itmayV f i "a In accordancewithimy invention thefloats turbulencev and throwing aside of the water.

are cylindrical-in shape and they have a diameter approximately equal.to Vthe diameter of the circle described byL the-particle of water nearthe surface- Theyv 'are arranged approximately perpendicularly to thedirection 5 of movement ofthe waves. y They, therefore, causepractically no turbulence ofthe water, such as would occur with othershapes and they permit the form of the wave to proceed unbroken to thenext and succeeding cells. No prior mechanism has included floats sodisposed that the weight of the apparatus is unsymmetricallydistributed'over Vthe wave form', the greater part of the weight fallingupon .the rising side. This action, which is known as damping isobsolutely necessary if we wish to gradually bring the waves to rest Yand recover their energy. Y A Y Thesecond fundamental principle is thatno 'structure can be built on or near the shore 70 strong enough towithstand the destructive action of the ocean waves at such a point, andthat a successful apparatus must operate at a distance offshore, wherethe waves are larger andino're uniform butmuch less destructive 75 andwhere'they'have not already converted a' large part of their energy intoa more chaotic and destructive form of motion by reason of thecomparative shallowness'of the water.

In accordance with the invention I, there- Se fore,rpropose to provide amobile apparatus which is supported as an entirety on its own floats orpontoons. The apparatus may be located at asuitable distance away fromthe shore. lVVith this type of construction in a5 which the apparatus isof sufficient length to reach Voverfseveral wave lengths, all of theparts acting and being acted upon can be placed in one integralstructure which remains practically horizontal, thus getting the maximumamount of motion from the waves, and which may riseand fall asa wholewith the tide. f l

The -principal object of the invention is to provide an improvedapparatus for converting the energy of deep sea or ocean waves into ausable formof energy, the said apparatus conforming tothe foregoingprinciples and making use of a large number of floating cells orpontoons which support the appara- .a system of piping on the apparatus.i

high pressure water may be used to operate atus and which rise and fallon the waves relative to the apparatus as a whole and thereby pump waterunder liigh pressure into The this power for the fixation of,atmospheric nitrogen, for ther manufacture of fertilizer and othernitrogenous compounds from the air and for other v chemical'manufacturing purposes. In accordance with the invention I may providefloating chemical manufacturing plants having abundant and cheap powerfor the production of valuable'products and i to the waves and to movefrom one location to sa u ` water at certain places. The present methodcompounds yfrom the .elements obtainable in abundance from the sea andair or which may be taken to the apparatus from the shore.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby theapparatus as an entirety may be capable of self-propulsion, so as tomaintain itself in the proper-relation another' if desired.

Another object of my invention is to prof vide a structure that willgradually absorb the energy of the waves and act asa breakof protectingharbor and parts of the shore by building great walls of masonry isunscientific because these walls do not absorb the energy of the wavesthey.- merely reflect it back upon itself. v This may cause a worsecondition in so far as shipping is concerned. Furthermore, suchreflection requires a sea wall of great strength. A structure builtalong the lines of my invention would be an absorber of this energy andit would not be reflected back vbut would `be absorbed and convertedinto useful effect. In such service the invention would have to beanchored in a certainposition; but it would be found that the amount offorce necessary to hold it in position would be very small compared withthe following specificationand claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown one embodiment of theinvention, but it will be understood thatthe drawings areforillustrative purposes only, and that various changes andsubstitutions may be made within the scope of the claims withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

Of the drawings: Y

Fig. l is a diagrammatic plan view of an apparatus embodying myinvention, many of the details/of `construction being omitted for thesake of simplicity.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is an end view. I y

Fig. 4 isl afi'agmentary :plan view on an enlarged scale showingv someof the features of construction in .greaterv detail. In this View,however, the central power plant 1s not "shown in detail inasmuch as itis so shown in another figure.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view on the samescale as Fig. 4.

. F 1g.76 is an end view on the same scale as Fig.

Y Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view'on a still larger scale showing thevconstruction of one of the float units.v

Fig. .8 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 7. Y

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional detail view on va still largerfiscale, this View being taken along the line 9,-9 of Fig."7.

Fig. 10 is a fragmentarysectional detail view, thisview being ltakenalong the line lO-.lO of Fig. 8.

Fig. 1l is a diagrammatic plan View on an enlargedscale showing thepower plant. p

Fig. l2 1s a side view of the parts shown inV ioo Fig.' 11. y i Figs. 18to 16 are diagrammatic views. V'Ihe apparatus, as a whole, comprises anopen framework of structural steel or other suitable material, thisframework being` strongly constructed tofresist fiexure and being longenough to extend over at least two, and preferably more than two, wavesof normal or average length. In practice the total length maybe from 800to 1000 feet.

Preferably theframe structure comprises' aplurality of parallel trussesl, l which ex-f` tend through the entire length. These trusses arespaced at uniform distances apart, and.-

are connected by suitablel transverse members 2, Q'and 3, 8. Preferably,in order to stiffen the entire structure, I provide a series oflongitudinal tension cablesor rods 4, 4, supported on struts 5,5k at thetop of the structure; and I may also provide if necessary a seriesoftension rods 6,6vr supported on struts 7,"u

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4, 5`

andG, it will be seen that each trussy 1 is provided with upper andlower longitudinal members 9 and 10 between-which extend a seriesofuniformly spaced vertical members 11, 11.v Diagonal brace4 members 12,12 `entend across the rectangles formed by the said members 9, 10 and 11to brace and reinforce the structure.

The beforementioned transverse .members 2, 2 are preferably locatedsomewhat below the longitudinal members 9, 9. Each of these members 2, 2preferably comprises two parts 2a and 2b which are located on oppositesides respectively of the corresponding vertical ymembers 11, 11. bracemembers 14, 14 serve to connect `the members 2a and 2h with therespective members 9 and 11. The beforementioned transverse members 3, 3are preferably located adjacent to the bottoms of the members-11, 11 andare directly connected either with the said members 11 orwith thelongitudinal members 10, 10. Y

Preferably a deck 15 is provided,.this resting directly on thelongitudinal truss members 9, 9. rThis deck may eXtend over the entirestructure or it may be providedonly where needed for actualprotection oruse. Tf

Vdesired a lower floor or deck la'may also be provided. If the powerdeveloped is transmitted to the shore as hereinafter described, and nomanufacturing is carried on upon the apparatus, both of these decks maybe dispensed with.

The longitudinal spacing of the vertical members 11, 11 is preferablyapproximately the same as the transverse spacing` of the trusses 1, 1.In practice this spacingmay be from 12 to 15 feet or more depending uponthe height and length of thewaves. Between each pair-of oppositelylocated vertical members 11, 11, there is provided a float 16 as shownmore in detail in Figs. 7 and 8. Each float 16 is substantiallycylindrical and is arranged with its axis horizontal and extendingtransversely of the apparatus. Each float is preferably formed ofsheetmetal, andv it may be provided with circumferential corrugations for thesake of added strength.

Each float is provided at each end with a suit-v able guide device, suchas a roller 17, adapted to travel along a vertical yOuideway carried bythe adjacent vertical member 11. Y As shown, particularly in Fig. 9, themembers 11 carry ver ical channel bars 18, 18 which are of such size asto receive the correspondingl Preferably diagonal .18a to engage therollers 17, 17 and limit 'their relative downward movement. 1

Y Carried bythe framework above each float 16 isa pump 20. Preferablythis pump is carried bythe corresponding two transverse members V2a and2". p l The pump 20 is preferably vertical and comprises a cylinder 21which is open at the bottom and adapted to float ina horizontalpositionv as it rises and falls.

As shown in detail in Fig. 10, the cylinder 21 is provided with anormally closed inlet valve 26 `and a normally closed outlet valve 27.The details of these valvesconstitute no part of the present inventionand specific description is unnecessary; It will be clear that when thepiston 22moves downward with the float 16it tends to draw iiuidinto thevcylinder through the valve 26,-the valve 27 at this time being closed..l/Vhen the piston moves upward the fluid contained in the cylinder isforced out through the valve 27, the valve 20 at this time being closed.The cylinders and pistons are relatively small and, therefore, the pumpsoperate athigh pressures.V I contemplate the use of pressures rangingfrom 500 to 1000 pounds.

-Siiitably located on the framework, vpreferably near the centerthereof, is a power plant station 28. Preferably the door 29 ofthsstation is locatedbelow the `level of the deck 15. Two or more of thefloats with their accessories may be omittedto provide room for thepower plantv station.

A system of high Apressure pipes 30, 30 extends over the entireapparatus, and the various pipes of this system are connectedrespectively tothe discharge valves 27, 27 Aof the several pumps 20, 20.The high pressure pipes 30, 30 communicate with a high pressure main 31which in turn communicates through avalve 32 with a suitable fluidmotor33.y The fluid used may be air or sea water, or ity may be a separatebody of water or water solution. If water, ora water solution, isvsupplied tothe several pumps the motor may be a hydraulic turbine. Thisturbine may be of the impulse type or of anyother suitable type, and asthe turbine itself does not constitute any part of my presentVVinvention,

a detailed description thereof will be omitted. The hydraulic turbine33may be used to drive any desired apparatus requiring` mechanical power,Vand as shown itis used to drive an electric generator 34.

A high pressure receiver 35 may be connected with the high pressure main31, and

for the Vpurpose of equalizing the pressure of thewater delivered to theturbine.

If air or sea water is used' the discharge from the motor or turbine maybe wasted;l

:but I preferto use a non-corrosive liquid,

such as a water solution '-of potassium bichromate. In the latter casethe liquid discharged from the turbine 33 passes into a'receiver 36 atlow pressure from which it can pass through pipes 37, 37 which extendover the entire apparatusV to the respective inlet valves 26, 26 Vof theseveral pumps 20.' The provision for circulating a quantity of liquidinstead of using sea water hasthe advantage that energy does not have tobe expended in lifting the water from the surface ofthe sea up to t-hepumpsa distance of fifteenor twenty feet. This energy could not berecovered with a turbine of the impulse type, which I propose to use.The non-corrosive solution can be conserved, and it will eliminate thecorrosive action on the turbine wheel and on the cylinder and valvemechanism of the ump.

It may be found preferable to provide av pump 38 for withdrawing the`liquid from the receiver 36 and delivering it to the pipes 37, 37 atalow pressure. In this way the pressure inthe pipes is maintained `atall times above atmospheric pressure, andvthere is no possibility of airentering the pipes in case there should be leaks at any points. i Assystem for the severaly floats toprevent any of them from filling withwater through these openings, or through leaksfthat might devel op. Ihave shown a system of pipes 43, which extend over the entire apparatus,and which are adapted to Vreceive air under pressure from a suitablepump or compressor 43a located in the power station. This pump orcompressor may be driven intermittently and when necessary, orcontinuously, by means of a motor 44. From the system of pipes 42suitable Y sections45 of flexible hose extend to theV reof the buoyancyof the floats in the manner w described serves another importantpurpose.`

In certain cases it may be found desirable to use myinvention totransmit high pressure water to the' shore for elevated storage, for thegeneration Vof power, or for use in hydraulic mining. In such cases theapparatus would have no machinery onA board, except the pumpingcylinders and the high pressure receiver.. By means of the`aforementioned openings 42 in the bottoms of the floats, and the systemofY piping described, water could be permitted to flow into all of thefloats, thus making the apparatus submersible. This would be resorted to'only at times of extreme emergency, as it is well known that themovement of the waterin wave motion falls off very rapidly withV the.depth below the surface. Suitable provision could be made forsubsequently supplying air to the floats 'to force out the water andagainfbring the rapparatus to the surface of the water.

It may be found desirable in some cases to provide the apparatus withmeans whereby it may propel .itself through the water, or whereby it mayat least maintain itself in the proper position to be acted upon by thewaves. F or this purpose, I have provided two propeller units located atone end of the apparatus and at the extreme corners thereof. When thesepropeller units are provided, the correspondingly located float unitsmay be omitted. As illustrated, each propeller unit comprises a watertight casing or chamber 46,

susA

the bottom of which is below the lowest level of the water. A propellershaft 47 projects rearward from the casing and carries a propeller 48.Located within the casing 46 is an electric motor 49 which isoperativelyconnected with the propeller shaft, as for instance by meansVof a drive chain 50. It will be seen that when the two propellers 48,48- are in operation the apparatus will be pro- Y pelled through thewater. Steering may be effected by momentarilystopping one or the otherof the propellers as required. Y

Suitably located on the framework there is preferably provided amanufacturing Vstation or plant indicated diagrammatically at 51 in Fig.l. One or more of the floats with associated parts may be removed toprovderoom for the manufacturing plant. The manufacturing plantV can beused for any desired or suitable line of manufacture, such as thefixation of atmospheric nitrogen for fertilizer,

the electrolytic productionV of hydrogen Y and oxygen from water, theoperation of the Haber process for making ammonia, the production ofchlorine, Vcaustic soda, bromine and otherindustrial products requiringpower. Power to operate this plant 51 can'be supplied directly from thesaid motor or turbine 38, but is preferably supplied electrically fromthe generator 34.

Referring to the diagrammatic Fig.'18,-A and E can b e considered asbeing any two floats in a series spaced apart by the distance a orone-half a wave length. By reason of' the crest of a wave, and the floatA is beingl shown as being `at the trough between two waves. The floatA, vbeing inthe trough, is submerged only to the depth required to carryits own weight, and it does not assist in carrying the weight of theframework and other parts. The float E is submerged to anincreased depthas represented by the yline d, this increased submergence beingnecessary inorder that the float E may carry an increased Vproportion ofthe lweight of `the framework and otherl parts which becomes necessarybecause of the fact that other floats, such as A, are not Vcarryingtheir proportionate shares of the weight. Unless the height of the wavesis greaterthanthe vertical distance@ between-the lines b and d thefloats will have no vertical motion and no'pump- Ving will take place.

Fig. 16 shows a series of floats A to I in the approximate positionswhich they may assume when acted uponby a wave. The float A is at nthetrough between twowaves and is submerged only sufficiently to supportits own weight. The float vB has a greater 'submergence than vthe floatA, but itis not quite submerged to the line c, and it therefore isnotsufficiently submerged to be forced upwardl against the resistance oeredby the ,liquid in the corresponding pump. The float C has been submergedsomewhat beyond the 1 line c and has, therefore', started to move upwardthus forcing the corresponding piston into the pump cylinder, andforcing the liquid from the pump into the high pressure piping system.The float D has moved further upward and has done considerable work inforcing water into the high pressure pipes. The float E has reached theupper limit of its stroke, and has completed its work of forcing liquidinto the high pressure system.

The float F has less submergence than the float E but it has not moveddownward for the reason that it is 'still submerged beyond the line Z).VIt will be obvious that the float F can move downward only when it hasapproximately the amount of submergence that is required to carry itsown weight, particularly if the pressure maintained in the supply pipes37, 37 is approximately sufficient to open the valves 26. The float Ghas a sub.-

mergence approximatelyto the line b and Y the floats are very important.

has Vmoved down a short distance.

and the float I has reached the bottom of its stroke and is in aposition corresponding to that of the iioat A. It is ready to beginanother cycle of movement, and this will be `repeated every nine or tenseconds, depending uponv the length of the waves. Y

It will be seen that each float has a stroke i f which is determined inpart by the height Y The iioat yI-I has moved down a still greaterdistance,

Jthat thisdistance f is-not equal to the height n of the waves, but isapproximately the height V'of the waves minus the height e alreadyreferred toinconnection with Fig.- 15. 1 Calvculations showthatapproximately one-tenth of the wave energy may be absorbed by oneVfloat, and if it be assumed that this relation continues to hold as thewave passes underneath aV number of the floats, then Va row of fromtwenty to twenty-five* floats would absorb practically all of the energycapable of being absorbed. Bearing in mind the fact that successiveportions ofthe energyV are absorbed by successive floats it will beunderstood that it would be theoretically possible to provide anapparatus in which each sucL cessive float has a shorter range of motionthan ythe preceding float.'` In actual operation, each successive floatwill have a shorter stroke, but for convenience and simplicity of Yfloats with the same possible range of motion even `though the floatstoward the rear of theapparatus do not move throughthe entire range., fl Y.

The shapes', sizes andarelative positions of The floats are cylindricalwith their aXes horizontal and eX- tending transversely of the-directionof move ment of the waves. Each float has a -di-,l ameter approximatelyequal to the diameter of the circle described by a particle of waternear the surface. `Each float is thus adapted to absorb the-maximum`amount of energy from the water, and to produce a minimum of agitationand turbulence in the water.

In view of the fact that the series of iioats extends longitudinallyover two or more wave lengths, itwill'be clear ythat the apparatus as awhole will remain substantially level. It will further be clear that thesuccessive kactions of the several pumps will serve to debe understoodhowever that the floats in all of the rows act similarly, and thatordinarily all of the floats in any given transverse line will moveupward and downward in unison. It will be yunderstood that in theoperation of the apparatus the valves 32 and 41 mustv be so adjusted asto regulate the pressure maintained .in the high pressure system. If ino lresistance were oered to thepumps, the apparatus would go throughits motions but no useful work would be accomplished, as Y this isaccomplished only by delivering fluid under pressure. On-the other hand,if the lvalves 32 and 41 were closed or approximately closed so as tobuildup an excessive pressure the entire apparatus would becomeinoperative by reason of the pumps gradually becoming filled withliquid. Clearly if the pressure becomes so great that the pumps couldnot discharge against it the pumps would gradually become. filled withliquid and .vouldcollectively act to lift the'entire apparatus above`its normal position. The length of-stroke of the various floats wouldgradually decrease until finally allI of the floats come to rest intheir lowermost positions. For the reason'stated the valves 32 and 41must be regulated to give the required operating pressure for theturbine, and at the same time to avoid an excessive pressure againstwhich the pumps Vcannot act. It will be thus seen that the action of thefloats and-pumps is to continually lift the superimposed structure outof the water and support it upon the highpres'sure water of thecylinders. L Releasing this high pressure water into the turbine permitsthe apparatus to descend. These twoacti'ons are'in equilibrium when theapparatus is working normally. Y

In operating theV apparatus, itv bev understood that it vis to be'initiallyjtowed or` otherwise movedV to a suitable distance from theshore, and that itis to be Aoriented so that its lengthv willlie in thedirection of movement of thewaves.y The floats will'then begin to moveup and downinthe manner already described, and Vif the low pressuresupply system be primed the pumps will supply 'liquid to theturbine'whichin turn operates Y the electric generator. AssoonA as theapparatus is in operation rit can maintain itself in the proper positionwith respect to the waves by operating one or the other of the propel-1ers so as to correct any tendency of the apparatusto drift-into'aposition at an angle to the direction of wave movement. It'will furtherbe understood that within certain limits the apparatus can act to propelitself from one location to another, normally using both of thepropellers,but stopping one or the other of them from time to time toeffect steering.

A study of the mechanical construction of the apparatus will Yshow thatit is very simple,

and that most of the parts are in multiple so that they can be madeeconomically in largev quantities. Most of the elements of the frameworkare duplicates of one another,

and all of the floats, pumps &c. are identical in construction. Y

It will further be understood that the apparatus is ,readilyv adaptedfor convenient maintenance and repair. Each float, t0- gether with theparts associated therewith, can be readily removed and lifted to thedeck for inspection or repair. ForVthi's-purpose, the deck may beconstructed with removable sections, and the severall pipes may be pr-o-Y vided with valves (not shown) whereby each pump can be separately shutoff from the main system.

At the beginning ofthis specification, I

mentioned theV possible use of an apparatus embodying my invention forabsorbing the energy of sea waves to prevent destructive action attheshore.V Forvthis purpose it may be necessary to permanently locatethe apparatus infixed relation to the shore. The apparatus may befloating and permanently anchored, or it maybe supported on a fixedstructure extending outward from the shore or upward from the bottom.

In some cases'it may be preferable to conduct the power to the shore forutilization instead of utilizing it on the apparatus as hereindescribed. This may be done in suitableV cases V'either by providing apipe, with suitable flexible portions, extending to the shore andlocating the hydraulic turbine on the shore,or it may be done 'byretaining the Yturbine and generatoren the apparatusand conducting theelectric currentto the shore for suitable utilization..

. vVVhatI claim is: A

l. In an apparatus for obtaining power from waves, the combination of arigid, open equal to or exceeding two wavelengths, a series of floatssubstantially uniformly distributed along the framework andV serving asthe sole meansV ofk support therefor.v

'andfunbuoyant framework having a length the said series; comprising aplurality of parallellongitudinal rows and each float in the series`being independently movable by the waves vertically with respect to theframework, and power mechanism on the frame'- work connected tobeoperated by the relative vertical. movements of the several floats.

several floats.

l3. In an apparatus for obtaining power from waves, the combination of amain, rigid, open and unbuoyantframework, bodily movby the relativevertical movements'of the :Fenice able so that it can be made to extendlongitudinally inthe direction of travel of the waves, a. series offloats each vertically movable by the waves independently with respectto the framework and each substantially cylindrical in shape andarranged with its aXis horizontal and approximately perpendicular to thedirection of travel ofthe waves, the said floats serving as the solemeans of support for said framework, and power mechanism on theframework connected to be operated by the relative vertical movements ofthe several floats.

4. In an apparatus for obtaining'power from waves, the combination ofa'main, rigid, open and unbuoyant framework, having a length equal to orexceeding two wave lengths, a series of floats substantially uniformlydistributed along the framework, the said'floats being eachverticallyvmovable by the waves independently with respect to theframework and each substantially cylindrical in shape and arranged withits axis horizontal and approximately perpendicular to -the direction oftravel of the waves, andthe said floats serving as the sole means ofsupport for the framework, and power mechanism on the frameworkconnected to be operated by the relative vertical movements of theseveral 1 floats.

5. In apparatus for obtaining power from waves the combination of ario'id o Aen and unbuoyant framework, a plurality of buoyant floatsmovable by the waves inde-` .1 pendentljyY of cach other, the saidfloats acting as a sole means of support for said'framework, a closedsystem of piping on the framework containing a substantiallyincompressible fluid circulated by the relative movements of the severalfloats.

6. ln an apparatus for obtaining V'powerfrozn waves the combination of arigid open and unbuoyant framework, a plurality of buoyant floatsmovable'by the waves independently of each other, the said floats actingas a sole means of support for said frame- Vand completelyunbuoyantframework, having a' length equal to or exceeding two wavelengths, a series of floats Vsubstantially uniformly distributed alongthe framework and serving as the sole means of support therefor, saidfloats being movable lvertically with respect to said framework andindependently of each other, each float being substantially cylindricalin form and arranged with its axis horizontal and substantiallyperpendicular to the direction of travel ofthe waves, a circuitoussystem of piping on said frameworkcontaining a substantiallyincompressi- `ble fluid, means operable by said floats for producing aflow of the fluid in the circuit, means for restricting the flow of.fluid in the circuit,.and means for recovering the energy stored intheycirculating fluid by the vmovements` of said floats. i

S. In an apparatus for. producing a ening action on waves thecombination of a -rigidopen and completely unbuo-yant framework havinga` length .equal to or exceeding two wav-e lengths, a .series of floatssubstantially uniformly distributed along said framework and serving asa sole means of support therefor, said floats being, movableiverticallyl with Vrespect to said frameworkand independently of each other, eachofsaidfloats being substantially cylindrical in form and arranged withits axis horizontal andy substantially perpendicular to the direction oftravel of the waves, a circuitous system of piping on said frameworkcontaining a substantially incompressible fluid, means operable by saidfloats for producing flow of said fluidl in the circuit-,fand means forrestricting: the said flow through the circuit. whereby thefwave energyis absorbed by the fluid in circulation. V9; In an apparatus .forobtaining power from waves the combinationof a rigid open and completelyunbuoyant framework, 1a series of hollow cylindrical submersibleelements arranged with their axeshorizontal and substantiallyperpendicular tothe direction of movement of the waveseach hollowelement having 'a relatively andpermanently open port in its bottomside,'means on said framework for maintaining a'gaseous fluid underApressure in each ofsaid hollow elements whereby said liollowlelementskbecome 'buoyant andV act as the sole means of support for saidframework, a closed system ofpiping kon said framework containing asubstantially lincompressible fluidsaid systemincluding a series ofvertically disposed pump cylinders secured to said framework and pistonscarried by said hollow elements and operable respectively in saidcylinders for displacing the fluid in said system when said hollowelements are moved by the waves relative to the framework, whereby acirculation of said fluid is effected in the circuit and the frameworksupported solely by the fluid between said pistons and the heads of saidcylinders.

l0. A method of obtaining power from ocean waves, which consists ofsubjecting each oncoming wave form to a succession of dampeningoperations at spaced intervals along the wave form, the sum of theintervals comprising a full wave length or more, and extracting aportion of the waves energy at each interval,`and thereby successivelyreduclll() isa ing the height of the wave proportionately as energy isextracted. Y

11. In anapparatus `for recovering power from ocean waves, an unbuoyantweight solely and transiently supported at spaced intervals alongthewave form by buoyant members vertically movable withv respect totheweight, such buoyant members reacting transiently on the weight throughthe interposition kof a fluid conned inA a Yclosed circulating system onthe weight.V I

l2. In an kapparatus for recovering power from ocean waves, an unbuoyantweight solely and transiently supported at spaced intervals along thewave form by buoyant members vertically movable with respectV to theweight, such buoyant members reacting transiently on the weightthroughthe interposition of a fluid conined in a closed circulating system onthe weight, and power mechanism on theY weight connectedin the saidclosed system and adapted to be operated by the pressure of the fluid inthe system.

13. In an apparatus for recovering power from ocean waves, a rigid, openand unbuoyant framework solely supported by the transient and periodicreactions of a plurality of buoyant members movable with respect to theframework against a fluid interposed between the framework and thebuoyant members and connediin a closed 'circulating system, saidtransient reactions occurringon the rising side of the wave form onlyand constituting the sole support of the framework. a

14. In an apparatus for recovering power Y from ocean waves, a rigid,open and unbuoya-nt framework 'solely supported by the transient andperiodicv-reactionsfof a plurality of buoyant members movable withrespect vto the framework against a fluid interposed between theframework and the buoyant mem- Y bers and confinedV in a closedcirculating sys- Cil tem, said transient reactions: occurring on therising side of the wave form only and consti-k tuting the sole supportof the framework, and power mechanism on the framework con-V nected inthe said circulating system to be operated by the pressure ofthe fluid.V

EDVARD J. BRADY.

